Didn't Video61 and Best, at least, have original Atari unpopulated EPROM boards? That was my understanding, and is primarily what makes identifying true Atari-era prototypes so difficult.

 

That's my belief as well. Some of the 'protos' that I acquired from Video 61 have a PCB board that are marked "Lynx proto-cart"...but have a copyright date of 2001 ('Ryland designs"), so it's clear that they aren't. Other games, though, appear to have been put on Atari-era PCB boards.

All of my B&C proto games are on boards that are clearly marked with the B&C logo, so you can't misidentify them as anything but repro-protos. I wish all repros were released with some type of distinguishing mark on the boards!

 

I still think that there's lots of uncertainty with respect to the status of most protos.

The AA cartridge list suggests that Othello was the only game to be put on Green PCB style 1, but here's what I have on that type of circuit board:

 

EotB -- (Video 61 eBay sale -- full game with save feature)

Fat Bobby (full game with "God Mode" and level skip)

Hyperdrome (eBay sale from the former Atari employee)

Lode Runner (Video 61 likely origin -- game is the version with sound)

Othello (I acquired this directly from Harry)

Pounce (Video 61 probable origin)

 

Mr. Bland's Diagnostic Cart is on the same style of board.

 

Othello was released in '99, after the commercial life of the Lynx, but at least two of my games (Fat Bobby, Hyperdrome) appear to be actual protos. Does this mean that Green PCB style 1 was around in '94 and '95, or that someone mounted real chips on after-age boards sometime in the latter half of the '90s? The mysteries continue!

Source: Worth of "released" protos